Conflict and Collaboration

Reviews / Votes

'Gerard and Kriesberg have produced a provocative collection that builds on decades of productive research at the Program for the Advancement of Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) at Syracuse University. They conclude that conflict resolution and collaboration should be viewed in relation to each other, arguing that to get to "good" conflict and "good" collaboration requires effective process management and close attention to social relationships. Their many case studies from international relations and public engagement emphasize the importance of preparing properly, taking steps to forestall escalation and intervening to transforming conflict and collaboration when necessary, never losing sight of the importance of power dynamics, leadership and ways in which coercion can be used constructively. Given the growing number of conflicts and failed effort at collaboration, especially in the United States, we would all do well to heed the lessons of Conflict and Collaboration.'--Larry Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, MIT, Co-founder, Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School

'The sign of a maturing field of research and practice emerges with the capacity for both wide-ranging theoretical development and reflective, evidence-based understanding of what does and does not work. Imagination and honesty will be required and Conflict and Collaboration offers precisely this unique combination. Wide-ranging in context and case study, the authors and editors offer the ways that conflict resolution, peace studies and the evolution of collaboration research and application can now be assessed with greater clarity of both potential and pitfall. This could not be timelier for our contemporary deeply divided world that demands practical and effective approaches to collaboration and transforming our most challenging conflicts.'--John Paul Lederach, Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame and/or Senior Fellow, Humanity United

'In this age of post-truth, alt-right, atavistic nationalism its important to identify social processes that will result in virtuous rather than vicious cycles; positive rather than negative outcomes, harmony rather than polarisation and division. This book enables us to understand when collaboration may be negative and conflict positive. Through a variety of interesting case studies it demonstrates how individuals, groups and social movements work spontaneously and intentionally to challenge unfairness; deliver sustainability; and coordinate constructively for the well-being of all. It is a must read for anyone seeking to understand how to build and maintain societies based on fairness,sustainability and tolerance for all.'-- Kevin P Clements, Chair and Foundation Director, The National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies,University of Otago, New Zealand.

'Not only does this interdisciplinary collection of essays present views of conflict as constructive, but it also examines collaboration as possibly negative as well as positive. Deconstructing conflict resolution from these new angles, the collection is further enhanced by the approach from different theoretic perspectives related to local as well as international conflicts and a number of different collaborative efforts. It makes one think, and it also makes one look at conflict resolution and post-conflict peace-building in a more holistic, creative way.'--Galia Golan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

'The success of any edited collection depends to a large degree not only on the excellence of the individual chapters, but also on the extent to which the collection coheres around a sustained theme, problematic, and, in this case, sensibility. The main theme is how the fields of conflict resolution and collaboration can mutually enrich one another. The problematic involves not assuming either field is unalloyedly without contradictions - and taken together, more so. But it is a shared sensibility that underlies the strength of this collection: that of scholars and practitioners from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The book is the result of the confluence of two very strong intellectual streams at Maxwell: the interdisciplinary Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (PARC) begun in the 1980s, and the many scholars working in Maxwell's traditional centers of intellectual excellence, in public policy, public administration, citizenship, and international affairs. The result of years of hallway conversation, joint projects and, yes, increasing collaboration, has given rise to a new Program for the Advancement of Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), and to this book. Thus, the collective sensibility of the volume. The range and excellence of the individual chapters also recommend the book to readers. A mixture of rich case-studies on specific collaborations (that went well or didn't, hence our "conflict"), and more general or theoretical approaches - on the use and misuse of coercion, on power and hegemony masquerading as "collaboration," on IR theory and peacebuilding practice - provide a balanced and ample introduction to the topic. Finally, it is the overarching sensibility of Professor Kriesberg and his pioneering work on the nature of "constructive" conflict, conflict resolution, and the fundamental importance of social relations in the understanding of both conflict and collaboration, that structures this collection and makes it a unique and important contribution to an emergent field.'-- Kevin Avruch, George Mason University, USA